'98 4.0 no start after engine bath

I took my '98 down the street to a self serve car wash, and sprayed the front axle, oil pan, and auto tranny case down with the pressure washer. When I got all done... no bueno.

It cranks all day, but won't start. Its not getting any spark, and after popping the distributor cap off and seeing it was bone dry, I started checking some of the nearby connections. A couple of them were wet, but didn't seem too bad. Its not getting spark out of the coil, for sure.

I've never been an electrical guru, so is there anything in that area along the passenger side of the motor, near the coil, that comes to mind? Ive washed this thing down before, and many other vehicles, without a problem.:dunce:

I bet you got your CPS wet. Look up the testing procedure for your year and go from there.

mgeebxj said:

I bet you got your CPS wet. Look up the testing procedure for your year and go from there.

Click to expand...

Forgive the ignorance, but if that's the case, woould it just dry out and be fine?

Also, my Hanes manual doesn't seem to have anything but a removal and I stall procedure, no testing info.

When the CPS fries from getting wet, it generally does not come back after drying out. As for the testing procedure, throw away your Haynes manual first, and then check out the first link I got from Google when I typed in "1998 jeep xj CPS testing procedure" http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/testing-cps-5563/

Using this procedure my CPS tested bad after getting wet in the car wash and needed to be completely replaced to get my Jeep to start.

If you don't have a multimeter to test electrical connections one of the best suggestions I can think of is to get a cheap one and learn the basic functions and how to use them.

You were right! Crank position sensor. I owe you a beer, Sir!

Awesome! I'm glad your jeep is back up and running. I wasn't kidding about throwing away that manual by the way! I have found it to be even worse than useless for helping with my 99. Many of the tech stuff in there is out dated or simply incorrect for our years (and all years for that matter). For instance - connect your spark plug wires the way it tells you and your jeep will never run.

I recommend a factory service manual and lots of Internet searching instead.

When I pulled the CPS, it had some pitting in the epoxy where the wires come out. The new unit looks like it would be almost impenetrable by water. I wonder if some heat shrink and a little silicone wouldn't make it waterproof.